sam-testings
What a beautiful face, I have found in this place
[OVERVIEW]
Taillow is an excellent offensive Pokemon thanks to its two great abilities, Guts and Scrappy, and a base 85 Speed that allows it to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame. It also has extremely powerful STAB attacks in Brave Bird, Facade, and Boomburst. U-turn allows it to play around its checks and whittle them down so it or a teammate can pick them off. However, Taillow is extremely frail and cannot switch into any attack and will faint to most forms of priority. A weakness to Stealth Rock limits the number of times it can switch in. Taillow also does not have many coverage moves, and the ones it does have are not the best. It is heavily outclassed by other birds such as Vullaby and Doduo, which are bulkier or stronger than Taillow is. It has a mediocre Attack stat and a horrible Special Attack stat.
[SET]
name: Mixed Life Orb
move 1: Boomburst
move 2: Heat Wave / Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Brave Bird
item: Life Orb
ability: Guts / Scrappy
nature: Naive
evs: 36 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
ivs: 19 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Boomburst is an incredibly powerful STAB attack, and thanks to Scrappy and Life Orb, it hits extremely hard, making it incredibly difficult to switch into, even for Pokemon that resist it. Boomburst can also hit behind Substitutes, which makes it useful for dealing with Pokemon such as Snivy and Gastly. Heat Wave allows you to hit Steel-types such as Ferroseed and Magnemite that resist Boomburst. Hidden Power Fighting allows you to hit Rock-types and Pawniard harder, but you miss out on dealing more damage to Steel-types. U-turn can be utilized to wear down Taillow's checks and counters while also retaining momentum. Brave Bird is just a filler move, but with Life Orb it can KO Fighting-types and some bulky Grass-types, something that Air Slash cannot do.
Set Details
========
Reducing HP IVs to 19 gives Taillow 19 HP so that it will only take 1 damage from Life Orb recoil. Guts is useful for when Taillow gets statused because it makes Brave Bird hit harder, while Scrappy allows its Normal-type attacks to hit Ghost-types, which means you can spam Boomburst without issue. The EV spread maximizes its Speed and Special Attack, which allows it to hit incredibly hard and fast. The remaining EVs are put into Defense to allow it to take priority attacks slightly better. Life Orb is used to make sure that Taillow can hit incredibly hard but can still switch between moves. If Taillow is running Hidden Power Fighting, it should instead run 36 Def / 200 SpA / 240 Spe due to the lowered IVs it forces.
Usage Tips
========
Try to avoid switching Taillow into any attacks, as it is quite frail and will usually not survive. Scout for Choice Scarf users such as Pawniard, Chinchou, and Magnemite that can threaten Taillow. Remove opposing Rock- and Steel-types first to allow Taillow to fire off Boombursts without anything resisting them. Use Boomburst as much as possible, since it is Taillow's strongest move and takes a large chunk out of the majority of the metagame. U-turn out of Taillow's checks and counters to wear them down so they can be picked off by Boomburst later.
Team Options
========
Knock Off support is very helpful, as it can get rid of opposing Eviolites, which softens up enemy Pokemon for Taillow to KO. Entry hazards help a lot, whittling down opposing Pokemon so they can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by Boomburst. Pawniard is an example of a Pokemon that can beat the Rock-types that Taillow has a problem with and also is able to set up Stealth Rock. Diglett can also set up Stealth Rock and trap Rock- and Steel-types that Taillow has trouble with. Diglett also appreciates the U-turn support from Taillow, as it can bring Diglett in on Rock- and Steel-types to trap them. Having a spinner or a Defogger such as Staryu or Vullaby is very useful, as Taillow does not appreciate taking damage from Stealth Rock. Staryu can also beat Rock- and Ground-types that threaten Taillow. Taillow can also be part of a type stacking core with other Flying-types such as Vullaby and Doduo. One bird can weaken the opponent's checks and counters to Flying-types, and the other one will be able to sweep. Lures for Rock-types could be helpful, such as Seed Bomb Aipom. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo and Chinchou can be used to get Taillow in safely, as it does not appreciate taking any damage.
[SET]
name: Guts Physical Sweeper
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: U-turn / Protect
item: Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Facade is an incredibly powerful STAB attack, especially after the Guts boost, being able to OHKO or 2HKO everything that does not resist it. Brave Bird is a secondary STAB attack that hits Fighting-types and Grass-types harder and will deal more damage than Facade before Guts is activated by the Flame Orb. Quick Attack can be used to pick off frail Pokemon, such as Carvanha, and can also pick off weakened Pokemon. U-turn can whittle down Taillow's checks while maintaining momentum. Protect allows you to activate Flame Orb reliably as well as allowing you to scout for moves.
Set Details
========
The EV spread maximizes Taillow's Speed and Attack, which allows it to hit incredibly hard and fast. The rest of the EVs are put into HP because Taillow takes a lot of recoil damage from Brave Bird and Flame Orb. Flame Orb is used over Toxic Orb because it inflicts less residual damage.
Usage Tips
========
Because this set relies on Guts being activated, it is important to try to get Flame Orb activated as soon as possible so Taillow can start doing tons of damage. The best way to do this is to either use Protect or use a slow pivot move user such as Chinchou or Mienfoo. Another way to get Flame Orb activated is to revenge kill an opposing Pokemon that Taillow does not need the Guts boost for. U-turn out of Taillow's checks and counters to wear them down so they can be picked off by Facade later.
Team Options
========
Because Taillow is going to be switching in a lot, having entry hazard removal in the form of Rapid Spin or Defog is essential. Staryu and Vullaby are two viable options. Staryu can also beat Rock- and Ground-types that threaten Taillow. Diglett can set up Stealth Rock, which can help whittle down opposing Pokemon so they can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by Boomburst and also trap Rock- and Steel-types that Taillow has trouble with. Taillow can also be part of a type stacking core, being paired with other Flying-types such as Vullaby and Doduo. Knock Off support is very helpful because it can get rid of opposing Eviolites, which softens up enemy Pokemon for Taillow to pick off. Pawniard is an example of a Pokemon that can beat the Rock-types that Taillow has a problem with and is also able to set up Stealth Rock. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo and Chinchou can be used to get Taillow in safely, as it does not appreciate taking any damage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taillow has a very small movepool, so there are not too many viable options outside of the already mentioned ones. Steel Wing can be utilized to hit Archen, but Taillow then loses out on its other moves that tend to be more useful. The mixed Life Orb set can attempt to utilize a Choice Specs; however, Choice Specs does not secure any important KOs that Life Orb misses out on. A physical Choice Scarf set could use U-turn / Brave Bird / Return / Pursuit to outspeed nearly the entire metagame, but its damage output is very underwhelming. A Choice Band set can be used in order to not take as much recoil as the Guts set does, but the inability to switch moves can be taken advantage of. One can attempt to use Roost to extend Taillow's lifespan, but it typically does not have the bulk to utilize the move. On the mixed set, Hidden Power Grass may be used to hit Omanyte, Tirtouga, and Chinchou. However, Hidden Power Fighting tends to be more useful and relevant. Z-Mirror Move can be used to copy the Z-move equivalent of one of the opposing Pokemon's moves and to gain +2 Attack. This can then be used to sweep the opposing team. Unfortunately, this set is hard to pull off and is generally inferior to the ones listed above.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Defensive Rock- and Steel-types**: Defensive Rock- and Steel-types are able to counter most versions of physical Taillow, as well as special Taillow sets that do not carry Heat Wave or Hidden Power Fighting or Grass. Due to Taillow's frailty, many Rock- and Steel-types can KO it easily. Tirtouga, Pawniard, and Archen are all examples of Pokemon that counter Taillow.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to Taillow's low bulk, common Choice Scarf users such as Mienfoo, Magnemite, and Chinchou can outspeed and KO it. Taillow's frailty also leaves it incredibly vulnerable to priority attacks such as Sucker Punch and Mach Punch. These attacks threaten the special set the most because it does not carry its own form of priority. Since revenge killers also force Taillow out, it will keep taking damage from its items and from Stealth Rock which means it quickly gets whittled down to low health.
Taillow is an excellent offensive Pokemon thanks to its two great abilities, Guts and Scrappy, and a base 85 Speed that allows it to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame. It also has extremely powerful STAB attacks in Brave Bird, Facade, and Boomburst. U-turn allows it to play around its checks and whittle them down so it or a teammate can pick them off. However, Taillow is extremely frail and cannot switch into any attack and will faint to most forms of priority. A weakness to Stealth Rock limits the number of times it can switch in. Taillow also does not have many coverage moves, and the ones it does have are not the best. It is heavily outclassed by other birds such as Vullaby and Doduo, which are bulkier or stronger than Taillow is. It has a mediocre Attack stat and a horrible Special Attack stat.
[SET]
name: Mixed Life Orb
move 1: Boomburst
move 2: Heat Wave / Hidden Power Fighting
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Brave Bird
item: Life Orb
ability: Guts / Scrappy
nature: Naive
evs: 36 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
ivs: 19 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Boomburst is an incredibly powerful STAB attack, and thanks to Scrappy and Life Orb, it hits extremely hard, making it incredibly difficult to switch into, even for Pokemon that resist it. Boomburst can also hit behind Substitutes, which makes it useful for dealing with Pokemon such as Snivy and Gastly. Heat Wave allows you to hit Steel-types such as Ferroseed and Magnemite that resist Boomburst. Hidden Power Fighting allows you to hit Rock-types and Pawniard harder, but you miss out on dealing more damage to Steel-types. U-turn can be utilized to wear down Taillow's checks and counters while also retaining momentum. Brave Bird is just a filler move, but with Life Orb it can KO Fighting-types and some bulky Grass-types, something that Air Slash cannot do.
Set Details
========
Reducing HP IVs to 19 gives Taillow 19 HP so that it will only take 1 damage from Life Orb recoil. Guts is useful for when Taillow gets statused because it makes Brave Bird hit harder, while Scrappy allows its Normal-type attacks to hit Ghost-types, which means you can spam Boomburst without issue. The EV spread maximizes its Speed and Special Attack, which allows it to hit incredibly hard and fast. The remaining EVs are put into Defense to allow it to take priority attacks slightly better. Life Orb is used to make sure that Taillow can hit incredibly hard but can still switch between moves. If Taillow is running Hidden Power Fighting, it should instead run 36 Def / 200 SpA / 240 Spe due to the lowered IVs it forces.
Usage Tips
========
Try to avoid switching Taillow into any attacks, as it is quite frail and will usually not survive. Scout for Choice Scarf users such as Pawniard, Chinchou, and Magnemite that can threaten Taillow. Remove opposing Rock- and Steel-types first to allow Taillow to fire off Boombursts without anything resisting them. Use Boomburst as much as possible, since it is Taillow's strongest move and takes a large chunk out of the majority of the metagame. U-turn out of Taillow's checks and counters to wear them down so they can be picked off by Boomburst later.
Team Options
========
Knock Off support is very helpful, as it can get rid of opposing Eviolites, which softens up enemy Pokemon for Taillow to KO. Entry hazards help a lot, whittling down opposing Pokemon so they can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by Boomburst. Pawniard is an example of a Pokemon that can beat the Rock-types that Taillow has a problem with and also is able to set up Stealth Rock. Diglett can also set up Stealth Rock and trap Rock- and Steel-types that Taillow has trouble with. Diglett also appreciates the U-turn support from Taillow, as it can bring Diglett in on Rock- and Steel-types to trap them. Having a spinner or a Defogger such as Staryu or Vullaby is very useful, as Taillow does not appreciate taking damage from Stealth Rock. Staryu can also beat Rock- and Ground-types that threaten Taillow. Taillow can also be part of a type stacking core with other Flying-types such as Vullaby and Doduo. One bird can weaken the opponent's checks and counters to Flying-types, and the other one will be able to sweep. Lures for Rock-types could be helpful, such as Seed Bomb Aipom. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo and Chinchou can be used to get Taillow in safely, as it does not appreciate taking any damage.
[SET]
name: Guts Physical Sweeper
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: U-turn / Protect
item: Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Facade is an incredibly powerful STAB attack, especially after the Guts boost, being able to OHKO or 2HKO everything that does not resist it. Brave Bird is a secondary STAB attack that hits Fighting-types and Grass-types harder and will deal more damage than Facade before Guts is activated by the Flame Orb. Quick Attack can be used to pick off frail Pokemon, such as Carvanha, and can also pick off weakened Pokemon. U-turn can whittle down Taillow's checks while maintaining momentum. Protect allows you to activate Flame Orb reliably as well as allowing you to scout for moves.
Set Details
========
The EV spread maximizes Taillow's Speed and Attack, which allows it to hit incredibly hard and fast. The rest of the EVs are put into HP because Taillow takes a lot of recoil damage from Brave Bird and Flame Orb. Flame Orb is used over Toxic Orb because it inflicts less residual damage.
Usage Tips
========
Because this set relies on Guts being activated, it is important to try to get Flame Orb activated as soon as possible so Taillow can start doing tons of damage. The best way to do this is to either use Protect or use a slow pivot move user such as Chinchou or Mienfoo. Another way to get Flame Orb activated is to revenge kill an opposing Pokemon that Taillow does not need the Guts boost for. U-turn out of Taillow's checks and counters to wear them down so they can be picked off by Facade later.
Team Options
========
Because Taillow is going to be switching in a lot, having entry hazard removal in the form of Rapid Spin or Defog is essential. Staryu and Vullaby are two viable options. Staryu can also beat Rock- and Ground-types that threaten Taillow. Diglett can set up Stealth Rock, which can help whittle down opposing Pokemon so they can be OHKOed or 2HKOed by Boomburst and also trap Rock- and Steel-types that Taillow has trouble with. Taillow can also be part of a type stacking core, being paired with other Flying-types such as Vullaby and Doduo. Knock Off support is very helpful because it can get rid of opposing Eviolites, which softens up enemy Pokemon for Taillow to pick off. Pawniard is an example of a Pokemon that can beat the Rock-types that Taillow has a problem with and is also able to set up Stealth Rock. Slow pivots such as Mienfoo and Chinchou can be used to get Taillow in safely, as it does not appreciate taking any damage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taillow has a very small movepool, so there are not too many viable options outside of the already mentioned ones. Steel Wing can be utilized to hit Archen, but Taillow then loses out on its other moves that tend to be more useful. The mixed Life Orb set can attempt to utilize a Choice Specs; however, Choice Specs does not secure any important KOs that Life Orb misses out on. A physical Choice Scarf set could use U-turn / Brave Bird / Return / Pursuit to outspeed nearly the entire metagame, but its damage output is very underwhelming. A Choice Band set can be used in order to not take as much recoil as the Guts set does, but the inability to switch moves can be taken advantage of. One can attempt to use Roost to extend Taillow's lifespan, but it typically does not have the bulk to utilize the move. On the mixed set, Hidden Power Grass may be used to hit Omanyte, Tirtouga, and Chinchou. However, Hidden Power Fighting tends to be more useful and relevant. Z-Mirror Move can be used to copy the Z-move equivalent of one of the opposing Pokemon's moves and to gain +2 Attack. This can then be used to sweep the opposing team. Unfortunately, this set is hard to pull off and is generally inferior to the ones listed above.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Defensive Rock- and Steel-types**: Defensive Rock- and Steel-types are able to counter most versions of physical Taillow, as well as special Taillow sets that do not carry Heat Wave or Hidden Power Fighting or Grass. Due to Taillow's frailty, many Rock- and Steel-types can KO it easily. Tirtouga, Pawniard, and Archen are all examples of Pokemon that counter Taillow.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to Taillow's low bulk, common Choice Scarf users such as Mienfoo, Magnemite, and Chinchou can outspeed and KO it. Taillow's frailty also leaves it incredibly vulnerable to priority attacks such as Sucker Punch and Mach Punch. These attacks threaten the special set the most because it does not carry its own form of priority. Since revenge killers also force Taillow out, it will keep taking damage from its items and from Stealth Rock which means it quickly gets whittled down to low health.
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